axis diplomat 2024 Despatch & Delivery Modules

2. Delivery Service Provider Interface

Improve efficiency at the warehouse despatch desk and in answering customer delivery queries by transferring consignment information electronically to and from the systems used by your carrier, logistics company or postal service.

Want to avoid the time and effort of double-keying delivery addresses, contact information and other
delivery information? Need to reduce the potential for error?

Need to tell a customer how their delivery was shipped? When it will arrive? What its consignment/tracking reference is? The Delivery Service Provider Interface gives access to consignment information quickly and easily.
 

2.1 Key Benefits:

 

  • Speeds the despatch process - Taking the delivery address and other consignment information from that already held in axis diplomat , thus avoiding double key entry.
  • Eliminates a potential point of error - If the delivery details are correct on the sales order in axis diplomat , then they will be correct when passed into the delivery providers system.
  • Consistent interface - Where multiple delivery service providers are used axis diplomat provides a single consistent interface to consign deliveries thus reducing training time and costs.
  • Real-time operation / real-time information - Provides other users of axis diplomat in your organisation with real-time information on what deliveries have (or have not) been despatched, and stops all of those time-wasting phone calls to your despatch desk!
  • Decimates the time spent providing consignment and tracking information to customers - Empowers your customers to track their own consignments, and empowers your customer services staff by providing quick and easy access to delivery & tracking information.
 

2.2 How does it work?

Most carriers, logistics companies and postal services (which we collectively refer to as Delivery Service Providers) provide a method of sending information on consignments directly into their systems electronically. This might use a software package installed on a PC or server located on your premises, or might be provided via a web interface.

Instead of using their software to manually re-key information on each and every consignment, axis diplomat uses information it has already obtained as a part of the sales order and picking processes to provide consignment information.

Information passed back to axis diplomat (e.g. the consignment number) is stored and used to provide an interface into tracking and Proof of delivery.

 
 

2.3 Consigning a delivery

To consign a delivery you'll normally need to pass information to the chosen Delivery Service Provider:

Delivery Address: (Including the postal town, post code and country code for international consignments): axis diplomat already has all of these details held against your delivery, having obtained them either from the customer account or during order entry.

Delivery Service: axis diplomat allows your choice of delivery service to be selected during order entry, or at any later time prior to consignment. Any request for special delivery arrangements (e.g. Saturday, pre 10:00 etc. can be recorded). The Delivery Service Provider interface takes the delivery method and translates this into the required service.

Number of Packages or Pallets: axis diplomat records the number of packages or pallets in each consignment and passes this information through the interface.

Weight & Volume: Default values for these are calculated by axis diplomat based on the weight & volume information held against the stock records for items on the delivery. These values can be accepted or overridden prior to being passed through to the interface.

Contact Name and Number: axis diplomat uses the customer contact set against the sales order, together with phone number information to automatically provide this information to the interface.
To provide flexibility, the despatch operator can override most information during the consignment process if required.
 

2.4 Historical Delivery Information, Tracking and POD

 

If you're faced with any volume of customer delivery queries, you'll appreciate the ease of use and speed of access to Tracking and POD information which the interface can provide. A simple right-click option from the customer enquiry 'Deliveries' tab, allows access directly into your delivery service provider's tracking system for a specific consignment.